Courtesy of Earth Friendly ProductsMany eco-friendly products are available

Some of us made New Year's resolutions to "go green" at home and only a couple of weeks into the New Year our determination is waning.

The thought of making real, long-term changes may be overwhelming. What we likely need is an easy plan.

Simple, inexpensive, eco-friendly ideas for each day of the year are offered in a new book, "The Green Year," by Jodi Helmer.

The goal is to make 365 small changes to bring about big green results. On May 26 she suggests planting mint in the garden to ward off mice. Try eating only foods grown within 100 miles of home- maybe that means picking produce from the garden- on July 17.

On Aug. 18 place tennis balls in the dryer with comforters and pillows to fluff them and to speed evaporation of moisture for energy conservation.

Dec. 14 is the day when she suggests that we use recycled items to wrap gifts. If every family in the US reused 2 feet of ribbon we would save 38,000 miles of the decorative string and that would be enough to tie a bow around the entire planet.

Some people find it easier to simply stock the house with supplies that encourage green living. Earth Friendly Products makes cleaners for the kitchen, bath and laundry room. Soaps for hand and machine washing dishes, doing the laundry and removing bathroom filth are among the many options. Products are free of dangerous chemicals such as parabens, phosphates, alcohol, and formaldehyde.